Man arrested for flashing at female co-passenger on metro train

The man, identified as Praveen B Hegde from Sirsi in the Uttara Kannada district, is said to be an auditor with a private firm in the city. He was arrested after the 30-year-old woman raised an alarm in the train and accused the man of sexual harassment. He is currently lodged at the central jail.

Bengaluru was once known to be one of the safest places in the country, but the IT city seems to be fast becoming infamous for crimes against women. In the latest incident, a 27-year-old man was arrested by the Jayanagar police after he reportedly unzipped his pants and flashed at a female co-passenger in a metro train Monday, April 30.

The man, identified as Praveen B Hegde from Sirsi in the Uttara Kannada district, is said to be an auditor with a private firm in the city. He was arrested after the 30-year-old woman raised an alarm in the train and accused the man of sexual harassment, reported the Times of India.

Other passengers in the train then caught hold of Hegde and beat him up, before handing him over to the police.

In her complaint, the woman said that the man was standing behind her in the train and kept pressing up against her. "I asked him to keep his distance, but a few minutes later I found him flashing," TOI quoted her as saying. When she insisted that he keep his distance, Hegde said that the train was extremely crowded and he had no place to move.

She later noticed that Hegde had unzipped his pants and was flashing at her. She raised an alarm and the co-passengers then came to her rescue. Hegde is now lodged at the central prison and the police have registered a case against him under IPC sections 294 (obscene acts), 354A (sexual harassment by physical contact) and 354D (stalking).

The IT city seems to be, of late, witnessing quite a few of these incidents. In March, a man was reportedly seen roaming around with his pants unzipped and flashing at female passersby. The entire incident was caught on CCTV cameras and he can be seen flashing at women on the main road near Sangolli Rayanna park in Bengaluru, reported the Deccan Chronicle.

In the footage, the man, identified as Paramesh, can reportedly be seen standing against a pole and smoking with his pants unzipped while he stared at the women walking out of the park in west Bengaluru.